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==Game design== [[File:Street Fighter II.png|thumb|Although ''[[Street Fighter II]]'' is not the first fighting game, it popularized and established the [[gameplay]] conventions of the genre.]] Fighting games involve combat between pairs of fighters using highly exaggerated martial arts moves.<ref name="fundamentals" /> They typically revolve primarily around brawling or [[combat sport]],<ref name="ashcraft90" /><ref name="xboxguide" /> though some variations feature weaponry.<ref name="xboxguide" /> Games usually display on-screen fighters from a side view, and even 3D fighting games play largely within a 2D plane of motion.<ref name="fundamentals" /> Games usually confine characters to moving left and right and jumping, although some games such as ''[[Fatal Fury: King of Fighters]]'' allow players to move between parallel planes of movement.<ref name="fundamentals" /><ref name=gamespotfatal>{{cite web |author=Provo, Frank |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fatal-fury-review/1900-6180701/ |title=Fatal Fury: King of Fighters Review |website=GameSpot |date=October 10, 2007 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102180641/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fatal-fury-review/1900-6180701/ |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Recent games tend to be rendered in three dimensions, making it easier for developers to add a greater number of animations, but otherwise play like those rendered in two dimensions.<ref name="xboxguide" /> Games that are fully three-dimensional without a 2D plane are sometimes referred to as "3D arena" fighting games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Liang |first=Lu-Hai |date=2022-05-23 |title=Capcom May Revisit Dormant Games |url=https://www.thegamer.com/capcom-dormant-games/ |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref> ===Features=== Aside from restricting movement space, fighting games confine the player's actions to offensive and defensive maneuvers. Players must learn each game's effective combinations of attacks and defenses.<ref name="fundamentals" /> Blocking is a basic defense against basic attacks.<ref name="50VF">{{cite web|title=The Essential 50: Virtua Fighter|url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-virtua-fighter|publisher=1UP|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719110526/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-virtua-fighter|archive-date=July 19, 2012|access-date=January 30, 2009}}</ref> Some games feature more advanced blocking techniques; for example, Capcom's ''[[Street Fighter III]]'' features a move termed "[[Parry (fencing)|parrying]]", which can be immediately followed by counter-attack, skipping the temporary stun a block would have put them in. A similar stun state is termed "just defended" in [[SNK Playmore|SNK]]'s ''[[Garou: Mark of the Wolves]]''.<ref>{{cite web | author = Gerstmann, Jeff | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/dreamcast/action/streetfighter3doubleimpact/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120715010218/http://uk.gamespot.com/dreamcast/action/streetfighter3doubleimpact/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 15, 2012 | title = Street Fighter III: Double Impact Review | website = GameSpot | date = December 29, 1999 | access-date = January 15, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="ignfatal">{{cite web | author = Chau, Anthony | url = http://uk.dreamcast.ign.com/articles/166/166258p1.html | title = Fatal Review: Mark of the Wolves | website = IGN | date = December 11, 2001 | access-date = January 15, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081007042313/http://uk.dreamcast.ign.com/articles/166/166258p1.html | archive-date = October 7, 2008 }}</ref> ====Special attacks and combos==== An integral feature of fighting games is the use of "special attacks", also called "secret moves",<ref name="essential50" /> that employ combinations of directional inputs and button presses to perform a particular move beyond basic punching and kicking.<ref>{{cite web |author=Towell, Justin |title=The Best Special Attacks Ever |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/the-best-special-attacks-ever/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126204346/http://www.gamesradar.com/the-best-special-attacks-ever/ |archive-date=January 26, 2012 |access-date=January 29, 2009 |publisher=GamesRadar}}</ref> Some special moves, which play an animation portraying an aspect of the character's personality, are referred to as [[Taunting#Video games|taunts]]. Originated by Japanese company SNK in ''[[Art of Fighting]]'' (1992),<ref>''Arcade Mania!'', pp. 100–101.</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Park, Andrew |date=June 5, 2007 |title=Art of Fighting Anthology Review |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/artoffightinganthology/review.html?tag=summary;read-review |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717135451/http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/artoffightinganthology/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review |archive-date=July 17, 2012 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |website=GameSpot}}</ref> these add humor, and they affect gameplay in certain games, such as improving the strength of other attacks.<ref>{{cite web |author=Rose, Martyn |title=Designing Kung-Fu Chaos, Part 3 |url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/k/kungfuchaos/themakers5.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205175426/http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/k/kungfuchaos/themakers5.htm |archive-date=December 5, 2008 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |publisher=Xbox.com}}</ref> Some characters have unusual taunts, like [[Dan Hibiki]] from ''[[Street Fighter Alpha]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time |url=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-20-street-fighter-characters-of-all-time/?page=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301120425/http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-20-street-fighter-characters-of-all-time/?page=3 |archive-date=March 1, 2009 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |publisher=[[GameDaily]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Top 25 Most Bizarre Fighting Characters |url=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-most-bizarre-fighting-characters/?page=24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206220705/http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-most-bizarre-fighting-characters/?page=24 |archive-date=February 6, 2009 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |publisher=[[GameDaily]]}}</ref> Combos that chain several attacks are fundamental to the genre since ''Street Fighter II'' (1991).<ref name="Edge Street Fighter II">{{cite magazine |year=2003 |title=The making of ''Street Fighter II'' |magazine=Edge Presents Retro |issue='The Making of...' Special |quote=[Combos] became the base for future fighting titles}}</ref> Most fighting games display a "combo meter" of progress through a combo. The effectiveness of such moves often relates to the difficulty of execution and the degree of risk. These moves are often challenging, requiring excellent memory and timing.<ref name="fundamentals" /> ====Counterplay==== Predicting opponents' moves and counter-attacking, known as "countering", is a common element of [[gameplay]].<ref name="xboxguide">{{cite web | author = Treit, Ryan | url = http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/tips/noviceguides/fighting.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090515013224/http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/tips/noviceguides/fighting.htm | archive-date = May 15, 2009 | title = Novice Guides: Fighting | publisher = Xbox.com | access-date = January 15, 2009 }}</ref> Fighting games emphasize the height of blows, ranging from low to jumping attacks.<ref name="essential50">{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-street-fighter-ii |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720141819/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-street-fighter-ii |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |title=The Essential 50: 32. Street Fighter II |publisher=1UP |access-date=January 15, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = Ekberg, Brian | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ds/action/k1worldgp/news.html?sid=6179720&mode=previews&tag=result;title;0 | title = TGS '07: K-1 World Grand Prix Hands-On | website = GameSpot | date = September 22, 2007 | access-date = January 15, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120715174733/http://uk.gamespot.com/ds/action/k1worldgp/news.html?sid=6179720&mode=previews&tag=result;title;0 | archive-date = July 15, 2012 }}</ref> Thus, strategy requires predicting adversarial moves, similar to [[Rock paper scissors|rock–paper–scissors]].<ref name="fundamentals" /> In addition to blows, players can utilize [[Throw (grappling)|throwing]] or grappling to circumvent blocks. Most fighting games allow a grapple move by pressing two or more buttons together, or simply by pressing punch or kick while being directly adjacent to the opponent. Other fighting games, like ''[[Dead or Alive (franchise)|Dead or Alive]]'', have a unique button for throws and takedowns. Projectiles are primarily in 2D fighting games, like the [[Hadouken]] in ''Street Fighter''. Projectiles can simply inflict damage, or can maneuver opponents into disadvantageous positions. === Emergent gameplay elements === ==== Turtling and zoning ==== {{further|Turtling (gameplay)}} Especially in 2D, zoning is defensive play that focuses on using relatively risk-free attacks to keep the opposing player away. The object is to force an opponent to take significant risks to approach the zoning player's character, or to stall out the in-game timer, which causes the player with more health (typically the one doing the zoning) to win. The effectiveness of the latter strategy varies from game to game, based on the effectiveness of zoning tools as well as the length of the in-game timer and the rewards characters can receive for successfully landing a hit when countering zoning. ====Rushdown==== {{further|Rush (video games)}} The opposite of [[Turtling (gameplay)|turtling]], rushdown refers to a number of specific aggressive strategies, philosophies, and play styles across all fighting games. The general goal of a rushdown play style is to overwhelm the opponent and force costly mistakes, either by using fast, confusing setups or by taking advantage of an impatient opponent as they are forced to play defense for prolonged periods of time. Rushdown players often favor attacking opponents in the corner of a stage or as they get up from a knockdown; both situations severely limit the options of the opponent and often allow the attacking player to force high-risk guessing scenarios. ==== Spacing and footsies ==== Spacing is the act of positioning a character at a range where their attacks and movement tools carry the lowest risk and the highest reward. The concept is somewhat akin to that of [[Footwork (martial arts)|footwork]] in martial arts. The desired position for play varies based on what tools are available to the character each player is currently using. As a result of this, a concept called "footsies" has emerged, frequently defined as players jockeying for position and using low-commitment moves at distances where neither character has a particular advantage.<ref>{{cite web |last=infil |date=May 18, 2021 |title=Footsies |url=https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Footsies |access-date=July 19, 2022 |website=Fighting Game Glossary}}</ref> ==== Pressure ==== Depending on the game, character, and move used, a player may be rewarded for a decisive blow with a strong positional advantage, strong enough that the rewarded player can minimize the number of viable moves available to the other player. Doing so, and then taking advantage of the opponent's limited options, is called pressure. Common forms of pressure include making a player guess whether they should block high or low, or keeping the opposing player trapped in the corner and punishing any attempts to escape. ===Matches and rounds=== [[File:Fatality (Mortal Kombat screenshot).png|thumb|The player's objective in a fighting game is to win a match by depleting the rival's health over a set number or a number and to make it easier to defend the game and to keep their opponents in check in order for them in a competitive game and win a win or draw of rounds. ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' allows the victor to perform a gruesome finishing maneuver called a "[[Fatality (Mortal Kombat)|Fatality]]".]] Fighting game matches generally consist of a set number of rounds (typically [[Best of three|three]]), beginning with the announcer's signal.<ref>{{cite web | author = Kasavin, Greg | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/capcomfightingjam/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | title = Capcom Fighting Jam Review | website = GameSpot | date = November 16, 2004 | access-date = February 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010111303/http://uk.gamespot.com/capcom-fighting-evolution/reviews/capcom-fighting-evolution-review-6113212/ |archive-date=October 10, 2012}}</ref> If the score is tied after an even number of rounds (such as 1-1), then the winner is decided in the final round. Round decisions can also be determined by time over, which judge players based on remaining health to declare a winner. In the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, the rules are different. Instead of rounds, the games usually give players a set number of lives (called stocks) for each player (usually three), and if the score is tied between two or more fighters when time runs out, then a "[[Tiebreaker|sudden death]]" match will take place by delivering a single hit to an opponent with 300% damage. Fighting games widely feature [[Health (game terminology)|health bars]], introduced in ''[[Yie Ar Kung-Fu]]'' in 1984, which are depleted as characters sustain blows.<ref name=gamespotfatal /><ref>{{cite web|author=Staff |url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/making-japans-first-rpg |title=The Making of... Japan's First RPG |publisher=Edge Online |date=March 6, 2008 |access-date=January 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125093639/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/making-japans-first-rpg |archive-date=January 25, 2012 }}</ref> Each successful attack will deplete a character's health, and the round continues until a fighter's health reaches zero.<ref name="fundamentals" /> Hence, the main goal is to completely deplete the health bar of one's opponent, thus achieving a "[[knockout]]".<ref name="ignfatal" /> Games such as ''[[Virtua Fighter (series)|Virtua Fighter]]'' also allow a character to be defeated by forcing them outside of the arena, awarding a "ring-out" to the victor.<ref name="50VF" /> The ''Super Smash Bros.'' series allows players to send fighters off the stage when a character reaches a high percentage of damage; however, the gameplay objective differs from that of traditional fighting games in that the aim is to increase damage counters and knock opponents off the stage instead of depleting life bars. Beginning with [[Midway Games|Midway's]] ''[[Mortal Kombat (1992 video game)|Mortal Kombat]]'' released in 1992, the ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' series introduced "Fatalities", where the match victor inflicts a brutal and gruesome finishing move onto the defeated opponent. Prompted by the announcer saying "Finish Him!", players have a short time window to execute a Fatality by entering a specific button and joystick combination while positioned at a specific distance from the opponent. The Fatality and its derivations are arguably the most notable features of the ''Mortal Kombat'' series with cultural impact and [[Mortal Kombat controversies|controversies]].<ref name="MK3">{{cite web |last=Gertsmann | first=Jeff |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/ultimatemortalkombat3/review.html?tag=summary;read-review |title=Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Review |website=GameSpot |date=October 24, 2008 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711071814/https://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/ultimatemortalkombat3/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Bread-review |archive-date=July 11, 2011 }}</ref> Fighting games often include a single-player campaign or tournament, where the player must defeat a sequence of several computer-controlled opponents. Winning the tournament often reveals a special story-ending [[cutscene]], and some games also grant access to hidden characters or special features upon victory. ''[[Tekken (video game)|Tekken]]'' introduced the concept of story modes in 1994 with the first arcade [[full motion video]] cutscenes for each character's victory.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Santos|first=Gonçalo|title=Every Tekken Game In Chronological Order|url=https://www.thegamer.com/tekken-games-chronological-order/|date=March 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|bA49WgGOKp4}}</ref><ref name="DOA4">{{cite web | author = Kasavin, Greg | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/deadoralive4/review.html | title = Dead or Alive 4 Review | website = GameSpot | date = January 1, 2006 | access-date = February 2, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090130135142/http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/deadoralive4/review.html | archive-date = January 30, 2009 }}</ref> ===Character selection=== In most fighting games, players may select from a variety of [[Player character|playable characters]] with unique fighting styles, special moves, and personalities. This became a strong convention for the genre with the release of ''Street Fighter II'' (1991), and these character choices have led to deeper game strategy and replay value.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/sfhistory/games_02_02.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040902095224/http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/sfhistory/games_02_02.html | archive-date = September 2, 2004 | title = GameSpot: The History of Street Fighter – Street Fighter II: The World Warriors | website = GameSpot | access-date = April 29, 2009 }}</ref> Custom character creation, or "create–a–fighter", is a feature of some fighting games that allows a player to customize the appearance and move set of their own character. ''[[Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium]]'' was the first game to include such a feature.<ref>{{cite book| editor= Craig Glenday| title= Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008| series= [[Guinness World Records]]| date= March 11, 2008| publisher= Guinness| isbn= 978-1-904994-21-3| page= [https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/84 84]| chapter= Record-Breaking Games| chapter-url-access= registration| chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0| url= https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0| url-access= registration}}</ref> ===Multiplayer modes=== Fighting games can support a two-player duel, sometimes by letting a second player challenge the first at any moment during a single-player match.<ref name="ashcraft90" /> Some games allow four-player simultaneous competition.<ref name="gamespotsmash">{{cite web | author = Anderson, Lark | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/wii/action/supersmashbros/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | title = Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review | website = GameSpot | date = March 8, 2008 | access-date = February 2, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090210125316/http://uk.gamespot.com/wii/action/supersmashbros/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Bread-review | archive-date = February 10, 2009 }}</ref> Uniquely, the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series has allowed eight-player local and online multiplayer matches, beginning with ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U|Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'', though many classify the series as the [[platform fighter]] subgenre due to its deviation from traditional fighting game rules and design. Several games such as ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' and ''[[Dead or Alive (franchise)|Dead or Alive]]'' have featured teams where players form "tag teams" to fight duels, but a character may be swapped by a teammate.<ref>{{cite web | author = Zdyrko, David | url = http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/163/163946p1.html | title = Tekken Tag Tournament | website = IGN | date = October 23, 2000 | access-date = February 2, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080211230621/http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/163/163946p1.html | archive-date = February 11, 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Some fighting games offer the endurance challenge of a series of opponents.<ref name="DOA4" /> Online games can suffer [[Lag (video games)|lag]] from slow [[data transmission]], which can disrupt split-second timing.<ref name="DOA4" /><ref>''Arcade Mania!'', p. 108.</ref> This is mitigated by technology such as [[Netcode#Rollback|rollback netcode]], often implemented using the open-source library [[GGPO]], which synchronizes players by quickly rolling back to the most recent accurate game state, correcting errors, and then jumping back to the current frame.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pusch |first=Ricky |date=October 18, 2019 |title=Explaining how fighting games use delay-based and rollback netcode |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/10/explaining-how-fighting-games-use-delay-based-and-rollback-netcode/ |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=[[Ars Technica]]}}</ref> Such games include ''[[Skullgirls]]'' and ''[[Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike|Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition]]''.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=April 23, 2011|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/interview-how-a-fighting-game-fan-solved-internet-latency-issues|title=Interview: How A Fighting Game Fan Solved Internet Latency Issues|website=[[Gamasutra]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425150653/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34050/Interview_How_A_Fighting_Game_Fan_Solved_Internet_Latency_Issues.php|archive-date=April 25, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= http://shoryuken.com/2011/06/06/street-fighter-iii-3rd-strike-online-1st-trailer-and-screens/ | title= Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online – 1st Trailer and Screens | first= Adam | last= Heart | date= June 6, 2011 | work= Shoryuken | access-date= June 6, 2011 | quote= Street Fighter III Third Strike Online Edition will be using GGPO netcode ... | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110608025320/http://shoryuken.com/2011/06/06/street-fighter-iii-3rd-strike-online-1st-trailer-and-screens/ | archive-date= June 8, 2011 | url-status= live }}</ref>
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